Thanksgiving is just two weeks away. Time to consider the bird. How will you cook it? Same as every year? I’m sure your turkey last year was grand and it will be grand again.
But, that bird can be grander. Author Diane Morgan, in The New Thanksgiving Table, describes this particular turkey version as burnished and maple-glazed. There are apple and apple cider flavors here, too, since though it may be cold it still is fall. And there is a matched gravy made with applejack. This bird is different, memorable and may become the one you now prepare year after year.
Diane Morgan toured the nation, combing the landscape for regional recipes offering consummate satisfaction. She found this one in New England where maple syrup, apples, cider, and, yes, applejack are dominant, natural ingredients. Here they are combined yielding a turkey fit for any Thanksgiving table.
The gravy recipe below calls for turkey stock and leftover cooked giblets. I posted the recipe for this stock yesterday and I encourage you to get your gloved hands in contact with turkey entrails. Giblets provide flavor and texture that cannot be duplicated and, once experienced, cannot be forgotten.
Maple-Glazed Roast Turkey with Applejack Giblet Gravy
Yield: 12-20 people depending on turkey size, 12-16 pounds
Ingredients:
- 1 large yellow onion, quartered
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 golden delicious apples cored and quartered
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4 fresh sage leaves
- One 12- to 16-pound brined turkey
- 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, melted
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup homemade chicken stock or canned low- sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup apple cider
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- Applejack Giblet Gravy [recipe follows]
Preparation:
Position a rack on the second-lowest level in the oven and preheat to 500°F. Have ready a large roasting pan with a roasting rack, preferably V-shaped, set in the pan.
Place the onion, garlic, apples, thyme, and sage inside the chest cavity of the turkey. Truss the turkey. Using a pastry brush, brush the turkey with the butter. Season the turkey with a few grinds of freshly ground pepper. Place the turkey, breast side down, on the roasting rack. Add the stock and apple cider to the pan. Roast for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Baste the turkey with the pan juices and roast for 30 minutes longer.
Remove the turkey from the oven. Using silicone oven mitts, regular oven mitts covered with aluminum foil, or wads of paper towels, turn the turkey breast side up. (It won't be very hot at this point.) Baste with the pan juices and return the turkey to the oven. Continue to roast, basting with the pan juices again after 45 minutes. At this point, check the internal temperature of the turkey by inserting an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of a thigh without touching bone. (As a point of reference, when the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 125°F, the turkey is about 1 hour away from being done. Of course, roasting times will vary, depending on the size of the bird, its temperature when it went into the oven, whether or not it is stuffed, and your particular oven and the accuracy of the thermostat.
During the last 20 minutes of roasting, brush the turkey with the maple syrup. Return the turkey to the oven and continue to roast until the instant-read thermometer registers 160° to 165°F when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone.
When the turkey is done, tilt the body so the juices from the main cavity run into the pan. Transfer the turkey to a carving board or serving platter and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Let the turkey rest for 30 to 40 minutes before carving, to allow the juices to redistribute. (The internal temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees while the turkey rests.)
Carve the turkey and serve with Applejack Giblet Gravy.
Applejack Giblet Gravy
Yield: 3 ½ cups
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Cooked heart, gizzard, and neck meat from Turkey Stock for Gravy [see yesterday’s post!], finely minced
- ¼ cup instant flour, such as Wondra
- 2 ½ cups turkey stock for gravy [again, see yesterday’s post]
- ¼ cup applejack brandy, or more to taste
- Kosher or sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
Preparation:
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and swirl to coat the pan. Add the minced heart, gizzard, and neck meat and sauté until heated through, about 1 minute.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the flour and ½ cup of the stock until the flour is dissolved.
Add the remaining 2 cups stock to the pan and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the flour mixture and simmer until the gravy thickens, about 5 minutes. Stir in the applejack. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add more applejack, if desired. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Source: The New Thanksgiving Table by Diane Morgan